An unremarkable, by-the-numbers, Friday the 13th clone, Madman will prove to be of interest only to those wishing to catch up on every 80s slasher ever made (an arduous task for even the most seasoned of horror fans) or genre fans wanting to see Gaylen Ross in one of her two post-Dawn of the Dead horror roles (the other being that of Becky Vickers in Creepshow).
Ross, who is credited here as Alexis Dubin, plays Betsy, a counsellor at a summer camp which comes under attack from the legendary Madman Marz, a vicious disfigured killer who is particularly handy with a length of rope and an axe. Also working (and dying) at the camp are a bunch of fairly unlikeable characters, most of whom are quite unattractive (a definite no-no for an 80s body-count flick).
With nary a plot to get in the way of the killing, Madman should at least have been a mindless piece of relentlessly bloody fun, but it is, in fact, a tedious, badly directed yawn-fest that doesn't even serve up the basic ingredients expected from such a filmnamely, a topless babe or two, and some decent gore.
As far as nudity is concerned, all we get is a laughable 'sex' scene, featuring Betsy and her boyfriend making a hot-tub 'whirlpool' (by walking round and round in the water) whilst a naff 80s song plays in the background, and a coy cuddle (inside a sleeping bag) between a shrew-faced woman with a nasty perm and her mustachioed lover (rather him than me!).
Gore-wise, the film is just as disappointing: there are a couple of headless corpses that involve the use of shop dummies splashed with blood, a reasonable hanging from a tree, a few dreadful axings, and an impalement on a hook. All of the effects are rather basic and unconvincing, and to make matters worse, the entire film is shot at night with poor lighting, making the action very difficult to see.
Madman is often referred to as one of the 'forgotten' slashers of the 80s; to be honest, it doesn't really deserve to be remembered.
*** Point of interest: This film is further proof that, when in danger, climbing inside a fridge is your best bet for survival. Whilst being hunted by Madman Marz, shrew-faced woman does what I now refer to as an 'Indiana Jones', and, despite the contents of the appliance being scattered all over the floor, the killer is duped. ***
Ross, who is credited here as Alexis Dubin, plays Betsy, a counsellor at a summer camp which comes under attack from the legendary Madman Marz, a vicious disfigured killer who is particularly handy with a length of rope and an axe. Also working (and dying) at the camp are a bunch of fairly unlikeable characters, most of whom are quite unattractive (a definite no-no for an 80s body-count flick).
With nary a plot to get in the way of the killing, Madman should at least have been a mindless piece of relentlessly bloody fun, but it is, in fact, a tedious, badly directed yawn-fest that doesn't even serve up the basic ingredients expected from such a filmnamely, a topless babe or two, and some decent gore.
As far as nudity is concerned, all we get is a laughable 'sex' scene, featuring Betsy and her boyfriend making a hot-tub 'whirlpool' (by walking round and round in the water) whilst a naff 80s song plays in the background, and a coy cuddle (inside a sleeping bag) between a shrew-faced woman with a nasty perm and her mustachioed lover (rather him than me!).
Gore-wise, the film is just as disappointing: there are a couple of headless corpses that involve the use of shop dummies splashed with blood, a reasonable hanging from a tree, a few dreadful axings, and an impalement on a hook. All of the effects are rather basic and unconvincing, and to make matters worse, the entire film is shot at night with poor lighting, making the action very difficult to see.
Madman is often referred to as one of the 'forgotten' slashers of the 80s; to be honest, it doesn't really deserve to be remembered.
*** Point of interest: This film is further proof that, when in danger, climbing inside a fridge is your best bet for survival. Whilst being hunted by Madman Marz, shrew-faced woman does what I now refer to as an 'Indiana Jones', and, despite the contents of the appliance being scattered all over the floor, the killer is duped. ***